Communicating Thainess Identity Through Hosting the Miss Universe Pageant 2018 in Thailand

Abstract

This qualitative research intended to, first, study identities of Thainess channeled through Thailand as the host country to Miss Universe Pageant 2018. Second, to study Thai audience’s and foreign audience’s perception toward Thai identities. Researcher utilized content analysis to study the contest’s final round footage, an in-depth interview with the contest’s organizer as well as Thai
Identities experts, and document analysis to process documents from YouTube and Social Media. The results of this research shows that by hosting Miss Universe Pageant 2018, Thailand preferred to present its identities of Culture over Natural Resources by using 5 different means of communication; Videos, Performances, Background Graphics, Tangible Objects, and Personalities.
The communication of Thai identities was done in 2 manners, first, Traditional Thai Identities was presented through tourist attractions of Thai natural resources. Second, non-traditional Thai identities was presented through paying respect, Thai classical music, Thai dances, Muay Thai, the floating lamps tradition, garlands, Kranok patterns, Thai conventional architectures, Thai shoulder pieces. These representations of Thainess, however, belonged to the Thai royal tradition or the Great Tradition which was domestically celebrated. Thai audience perceived and conceived Thai identities better than foreign audience. Thai audience had diverse opinions on the presentation of Thai identities. The majority of Thai audience admired the way the presentation was done, the other group, however, took opposition. Those who opposed perceived the presentation of Thai identities as a depreciation of Thainess for instance; the use of Thai shoulder pieces with bikinis and the detail reduction of Kranok patterns used as graphics for the stage background.